PagesPat's Ponderings

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

Ike's World Challenges Celebrates Easter and Spring

It looks like Mother Nature has finally settled down into a new season, Spring. Nature is always a great inspiration for art in any form, so it makes sense for Ike's World Challenge Blog to offer an optional twist of Spring or Easter to its Anything Goes theme.
Everyone in my family knows I am a comic, so I created an easel card featuring flowers and bunnies, but...I had to twist it into a punny card. I think easel cards make the best riddle cards to deliver that punchline, don't you? So, do you know how many rabbits it takes to change a light bulb? 
One! If it hops right to it! (If you groaned, then my pun was successful) I used two images from Ike's Art, Bunny on Shelf and Smashing Idea. Instead of trying to color in the light bulb, I decided to keep the image uncolored but print it on white copy paper.
You have until Sunday to link up your card or project at Ike's World Challenge Blog. The theme is optional and you may use any images you like to play along, but if you use an IKEsART image, you will be entered twice into the voting for a gift certificate to the store. Happy crafting!  

Monday, April 17, 2017

Celebrate the Beauty of Nature along the Path of Positivity

Welcome, crafters, to the midway point of the challenge at the Path of Positivity challenge blog. The theme is Always Anything Goes, with this month's optional twist of the Beauty of Nature. The guest sponsor is Sparkle n Sprinkle
and I got to play with this cute digital image called Rainy Days. I'm always looking for rainbows when it rains here in Chicago. My family doesn't get alarmed when I leap out of my seat and run outside to catch the colors in the sky after a rainfall.
To capture my excitement and contentment with rainy days and rainbows, I used a scenic paper from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles called Chasing Rainbows.
The image is perfect for reflection on God's promise of blessings coming from stormy events in our own lives. To continue with the rainbow theme, I printed my sentiment (LD Handwritten Greetings) and water-colored a mini rainbow on it. There is so much color going on that I embellished simply with a bow and a butterfly sticker.
I hope you find your rainbow during the Spring season! And if you create and add your project to the Path of Positivity challenge blog, you can win big:
SPONSOR & PRIZE INFORMATION:
A $15.00 gift certificate from Sparkle n Sprinkle, our sole guest sponsor this month, for the post or project that the team deems most inspiring of the bunch.
 A $15.00 gift certificate from Sparkle n Sprinkle, our sole guest sponsor this month, for a person chosen in a random draw based on all entrants.
One digital image from Creative Bug Digital SnapShots for each person chosen as a DT Delight.

in order to be considered eligible for this month's prizes, ALL creations must be positive, inspirational, motivational or encouraging in some manner. You don't need to follow the optional theme if you simply want to have a chance at the Random Draw prize of a $15 gift certificate from Sparkle N Sprinkle. If you do follow the Beauty of Nature theme, please add the letters FT after your name so you'll be in the draw for the prize for the Most Inspiring as voted on by the DT members.
Happy crafting!

Saturday, April 15, 2017

The Ghost of Christmas Past Visits the 12 Months of Christmas Challenge Blog

The best part of Christmas is the memories of Christmases past. Charles Dickens hit it spot-on when he wrote A Christmas Carol, pulling Ebenezer Scrooge and his readers into the heart of Christmas with his spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Around my dinner table at Christmas, we a single place setting  for all those who can no longer celebrate with us. Memories of their laughter and love keep them alive every year.
This spirit of Christmas Past inspires April’s Optional theme of The Ghost of Christmas Past (a Vintage Theme) at the 12 Months of Christmas Challenge Blog. The guest sponsor is Luna Girl, a perfect match for this theme as you will see from the offerings of our DT.
I used an image from Luna Girl's Pink Christmas 2 Collage Sheet, along with the following papers from Decosse's Dynamite Doodles': Vintage Damask 1: Rich Colors Paper Kit in Green, Pink Glitterati Textured Paper and Brown Paper from A Grungy Christmas Paper Kit
The rest of the embellishments are from Carolyn's Scrap Creations and various crafters at Pixel Scrapper. 
The challenges are always ANYTHING GOES but there's always an optional theme. You don't need to follow the theme to link up your cards and earn a free paper each month and have your name thrown into the year-end draw for some extra digital goodies. You only need to follow the theme if you want a chance to win this month's sponsored prize of a $15.00 gift certificate from Lunagirl. Please add the letters FT after your name when you link your cards so that we know you're interested in that $15 Luna Girl prize and let the spirits inspire you to create a vintage Christmas card this month!


See the Shades of Spring at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

Can it be that Spring has finally arrived? Yes! although it has been known to snow in April and even May in Chicago (I never put up my mittens and boots until Memorial Day). Taking advantage of some very nice weather lately, I created a card for my DT make at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog. Their challenge asks crafters to create in Shades of Spring. Here's a little photo inspiration for you:
As you can see, my colors show up more vividly than the photo, but my lilacs and greens are there, along with the butter yellow. Anyway, I photographed and then printed out one of my water colors for the card's background. I fussy-cut the Scribbles image, called Hatch in Egg, then used dimensional dots to adhere to my background. I finished off my card with a few jeweled butterflies as well as a 3D one.
Scribbles Designs has a huge variety of whimsical images plus quite a few freebies for you to play with. So color up a Scribbles image (or any image) and come join in the challenge for your chance to win free digis from the store!
Challenges I am Entering:
If You Give a Crafter a Cookie - Photo inspiration
Creative Moments - Anything Goes/optional Easter
Stampavie and More - Watercolor background
Chocolate Baroque - Color Inspiration

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Anything Goes w/Optional Twist "In the Garden" at Ike's World Challenges

Welcome to the midway point of this fortnight's Ike's World Challenges Anything Goes challenge. The OPTIONAL twist this time is In the Garden. While Ike has some lovely flower images in her store, I am not a big fan of flowers. I love to look at them...from afar. I have allergies to most flowers, and I believe I might just have subconscious allergies to faux flowers.
So when I think Garden, I think lovely lettuce, rosy radishes, juicy tomatoes and plump pumpkins. I found the perfect sentiment to go with my Copic-colored image. It reads:
"One of the most delightful things a bout a garden
is the anticipation it provides."
My card paints a picture of the anticipation I feel when planting and taking care of my vegetable garden. This year I am expanding mine and can't wait to turn the earth to make ready for my dreams. But enough daydreaming! You have until Sunday evening to link up your creation, which can be ANYTHING, for your chance to win free digis from the Store!
Challenges I am Entering:
Allsorts - Food
Crafty Friends - B is for...(I chose Bounty, which is what I hope my garden will yield this year)


Monday, April 3, 2017

Explore the Beauty of Nature on the Path of Positivity

A new month means a new challenge at the Path of Positivity Challenge Blog. While all challenges are now Anything positive or uplifting Goes, the optional twist is "the Beauty of Nature". And Bunnies are definitely a part of nature (just look in my backyard). So with the Easter holiday around the corner, I decided to create an Easter card.
My image comes from Sparkle n Sprinkle, the guest sponsor for the Path of Positivity this month. It's called Spring Bunny and can be found at the SNS Store.
The challenge runs from today through April 30th, so take a walk outside and let nature inspire your next crafty project!

Saturday, April 1, 2017

Birds of a Feather Stick Together at Scribbles Designs Challenge Blog

I'm feeling Spring today, which is a little dangerous in Chicago. You never know when Mother Nature might throw another curve ball and stick up with a foot of snow on top of our tulips and daffodils!
But at least my Spring card won't get snowed upon. I created my double Z-fold card for this month's Birds of a Feather challenge over at Scribbles Designs. We're at the midway point of the challenge, so you have another two weeks to create and link up your projects for your chance to win free digis from the store. While you're there, check out the FREEBIES, as well as FAB FRIENDS QUOTE and SPRING BIRD FREEBIE, which are the two Scribbles digis I used on my card.
Here's another look at the card I created-
Happy crafting!
Challenges I am Entering:
Just Add Ink - Just Add Critters
Moving Along with the Times - Into the Woods
Through the Craft Room Door - Always Anything Goes

It's FREEBIE Time Again at Pixel Scrapper

Time again to show off how much I've learned at Pixel Scrapper with another FREEBIE Blog Train offering. Pixel Scrapper is a free website where you can snag digital papers, elements, templates and so much more. If you join, you can grab up ALL the offerings in this bog train, and it is amazing! It's called RAINDROPS and RAINBOWS. Here's a preview of mine:
 I'm just a beginner and my kit is small. You should see some of the kits, and they're all free! Meanwhile, click on the button below to download my Mini Kit of papers. Don't forget to leave a little love to cheer me on my way down the digital path...

(UPDATED LINK)